The ''Acrocephalus'' warblers are small, insectivorous

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s belonging to the genus ''Acrocephalus''. Formerly in the

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

Old World warbler Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the ci ...

assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh and tree warbler family

Acrocephalidae The Acrocephalidae (the reed warblers, marsh- and tree-warblers, or acrocephalid warblers) are a family of oscine passerine birds, in the superfamily Sylvioidea. The species in this family are usually rather large "warblers". Most are rather p ...

. They are sometimes called marsh warblers or reed warblers, but this invites confusion with

marsh warbler The marsh warbler (''Acrocephalus palustris'') is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and the western Palearctic and winters mainly in southeast Africa. It is notable for incorpora ...

and

reed warbler The ''Acrocephalus'' warblers are small, insectivorous passerine birds belonging to the genus ''Acrocephalus''. Formerly in the paraphyletic Old World warbler assemblage, they are now separated as the namesake of the marsh and tree warbler f ...

proper, especially in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, where it is common to use lower case for bird species. These are rather drab brownish warblers usually associated with

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

es or other wetlands. Some are streaked, others plain. Many species breeding in temperate regions are migratory. This genus has heavily diversified into many species throughout islands across the tropical

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. This in turn has led to many of the resulting insular

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species to become

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

. Several of these species (including all but one of the species endemic to the Marianas and two endemic to

French Polynesia )Territorial motto: ( en, "Great Tahiti of the Golden Haze") , anthem = , song_type = Regional anthem , song = " Ia Ora 'O Tahiti Nui" , image_map = French Polynesia on the globe (French Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of Frenc ...

) have already gone

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. The most enigmatic species of the genus, the

large-billed reed warbler The large-billed reed warbler (''Acrocephalus orinus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The species has been dubbed as "the world's least known bird". It was known from a single specimen collected in India in 1867 and redi ...

(''A. orinus''), was rediscovered in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

in March, 2006; it was found also in a remote corner of

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in the summer of 2009. Prior to these recent sightings, it had been found only once before, in 1867. Many species have a flat head profile, which gives rise to the group's

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

. The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that Naumann and Naumann thought ''akros'' meant "sharp-pointed".

List of species in taxonomic order

The genus contains 42 species of which 6 insular forms are now extinct: *

Basra reed warbler The Basra reed warbler (''Acrocephalus griseldis'') is a "warbler" of the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is an endemic breeder in Southwestern Iran, East and southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Israel in extensive beds of papyrus and reeds. It is easily mis ...

, ''Acrocephalus griseldis'' *

Cape Verde warbler The Cape Verde warbler (''Acrocephalus brevipennis'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is also known as the Cape Verde cane warbler or Cape Verde swamp warbler, and in Creole as ''tchota-de-cana'' or ''chincherote'' (als ...

, ''Acrocephalus brevipennis'' *

Greater swamp warbler The greater swamp warbler (''Acrocephalus rufescens'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republ ...

, ''Acrocephalus rufescens'' *

Lesser swamp warbler The lesser swamp warbler or Cape reed warbler (''Acrocephalus gracilirostris'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is a resident breeder in Africa from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chad and Ethiopia south to S ...

, ''Acrocephalus gracilirostris'' *

Madagascar swamp warbler The Madagascar swamp warbler (''Acrocephalus newtoni'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is found only in Madagascar. Its natural habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, p ...

, ''Acrocephalus newtoni'' *

Seychelles warbler The Seychelles warbler (''Acrocephalus sechellensis''), also known as Seychelles brush warbler, is a small songbird found on five granitic and corraline islands in the Seychelles. It is a greenish-brown bird with long legs and a long slender bill ...

, ''Acrocephalus sechellensis'' * Rodrigues warbler, ''Acrocephalus rodericanus'' *

Great reed warbler The great reed warbler (''Acrocephalus arundinaceus'') is a Eurasian passerine in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from Ancient Greek ''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that Naumann and ...

, ''Acrocephalus arundinaceus'' * Oriental reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus orientalis'' *

Clamorous reed warbler The clamorous reed warbler (''Acrocephalus stentoreus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds from Egypt eastwards through Pakistan, Afghanistan and northernmost India to south China and southeast Asia. ''A. s. meridi ...

, ''Acrocephalus stentoreus'' * Australian reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus australis'' * Millerbird, ''Acrocephalus familiaris'' *†

Nightingale reed warbler The nightingale reed warbler (''Acrocephalus luscinius''), or Guam reed-warbler, was a songbird endemic to Guam. It has not been seen since 1969. Taxonomy and systematics The nightingale reed warbler was described by the French zoologists ...

, ''Acrocephalus luscinius'' *

Saipan reed warbler The Saipan reed warbler (''Acrocephalus hiwae'') is a critically endangered songbird of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is considered a subspecies of the nightingale reed warbler by some taxonomists. It occurs on two islands: Saipan and Alama ...

, ''Acrocephalus hiwae'' *† Aguiguan reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus nijoi'' *† Pagan reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus yamashinae'' *† Mangareva reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus astrolabii'' *

Nauru reed warbler The Nauru reed warbler ( na, itsirir) (''Acrocephalus rehsei'') is a passerine bird endemism, endemic to the island of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean. It is one of only two native breeding land-birds on Nauru and it is the only passerine found on th ...

, ''Acrocephalus rehsei'' *

Caroline reed warbler The Caroline reed warbler or Caroline Islands reed warbler (''Acrocephalus syrinx'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is found only on the Caroline Islands in Micronesia. References

Acrocephalus (bi ...

, ''Acrocephalus syrinx'' *

Bokikokiko The bokikokiko, Kiritimati reed warbler or Christmas Island warbler (''Acrocephalus aequinoctialis'') is a species of warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is found only on Kiritimati and Washington Island (Kiribati). The population size of ...

, ''Acrocephalus aequinoctialis'' *

Northern Marquesan reed warbler The northern Marquesan reed warbler (''Acrocephalus percernis'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the southern Marquesan reed warbler, and together known as the Marques ...

, ''Acrocephalus percernis'' *

Tahiti reed warbler The Tahiti reed warbler (''Acrocephalus caffer'') is a songbird in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It used to be placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage (Sylviidae), but is now in the newly recognized marsh warbler family Acrocephalidae. It is ...

, ''Acrocephalus caffer'' *† Moorea reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus longirostris'' *† Garrett's reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus musae'' *

Southern Marquesan reed warbler The southern Marquesan reed warbler (''Acrocephalus mendanae'') is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It was formerly considered conspecific with the northern Marquesan reed warbler, and together known as the Marquesan ...

, ''Acrocephalus mendanae'' * Tuamotu reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus atyphus'' * Cook reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus kerearako'' * Rimatara reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus rimatarae'' *

Henderson reed warbler The Henderson reed warbler (''Acrocephalus taiti''), also known as the Henderson reed-warbler or the Henderson Island reed warbler, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It is found only on Henderson Island, part of th ...

, ''Acrocephalus taiti'' * Pitcairn reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus vaughani'' *

Black-browed reed warbler The black-browed reed warbler (''Acrocephalus bistrigiceps'') is a marsh-warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1860. It breed ...

, ''Acrocephalus bistrigiceps'' *

Moustached warbler The moustached warbler (''Acrocephalus melanopogon'') is an Old World warbler Old World warblers are a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the ...

, ''Acrocephalus melanopogon'' *

Aquatic warbler The aquatic warbler (''Acrocephalus paludicola'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds in temperate eastern Europe and western Asia, with an estimated population of 11,000-15,000 pairs. It is migratory, wintering in ...

, ''Acrocephalus paludicola'' *

Sedge warbler The sedge warbler (''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge warblers are migratory, crossing ...

, ''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'' *

Speckled reed warbler The speckled reed warbler or streaked reed warbler (''Acrocephalus sorghophilus'') is an Old World warbler in the family Acrocephalidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863. It is found in China and the Philippines. Its ...

, ''Acrocephalus sorghophilus'' *

Blunt-winged warbler The blunt-winged warbler (''Acrocephalus concinens'') is a marsh-warbler (family Acrocephalidae). The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1870. It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage. It is found in Afghanis ...

, ''Acrocephalus concinens'' *

Manchurian reed warbler The Manchurian reed warbler (''Acrocephalus tangorum''), also known as the Manchurian reed-warbler, is a species of marsh-warbler (family Acrocephalidae). It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, and was usually (and someti ...

, ''Acrocephalus tangorum'' (sometimes included in ''A. agricola'') *

Large-billed reed warbler The large-billed reed warbler (''Acrocephalus orinus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The species has been dubbed as "the world's least known bird". It was known from a single specimen collected in India in 1867 and redi ...

, ''Acrocephalus orinus'' *

Paddyfield warbler The paddyfield warbler (''Acrocephalus agricola'') is a species of marsh warbler (family Acrocephalidae). It was formerly included in the "Old World warbler" assemblage. The Manchurian reed warbler (''A. tangorum'') was (and sometimes still is ...

, ''Acrocephalus agricola'' *

Blyth's reed warbler __NOTOC__ Blyth's reed warbler (''Acrocephalus dumetorum'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds in the Palearctic and easternmost Europe. It is migratory, wintering in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. It is one of th ...

, ''Acrocephalus dumetorum'' * Common reed warbler, ''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'' *

Marsh warbler The marsh warbler (''Acrocephalus palustris'') is an Old World warbler currently classified in the family Acrocephalidae. It breeds in temperate Europe and the western Palearctic and winters mainly in southeast Africa. It is notable for incorpora ...

, ''Acrocephalus palustris'' Fragmentary

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

remains from the

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

(about 11 mya) of

Rudabánya Rudabánya is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Hungary. The town territory was the location of the discovery of a hominid from 12 million years ago, '' Dryopithecus brancoi'' (1969). International relations Rudabánya is twinned with: ...

(NE

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

) show some

apomorph In phylogenetics, an apomorphy (or derived trait) is a novel character or character state that has evolved from its ancestral form (or plesiomorphy). A synapomorphy is an apomorphy shared by two or more taxa and is therefore hypothesized to have ...

ies typical of this genus. Given its rather early age (most

Passerida Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri (standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder). While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorde ...

genera are not known until the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Acrocephalus videos
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q637716 Bird genera Taxa named by Johann Andreas Naumann Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Naumann